Innerpartysystem - 'Don't Stop'
According to their press release, "Innerpartysystem are bringing their unique amalgamation of rock and dance elements to the UK". Which begs a couple of questions, namely: Unique, eh? Rock and dance, eh?
Kids, kids, I think there is some lying going on here. And I don't just mean the standard sort of lying press releases always engage in (like "this album is good" and "this band are interesting") I mean something much more widespread and disturbing. There's been what you might call a paradigm shift in what we call that sort of music which has rock and dance elements and gets all political occasionally with a fatalistic sort of sense that THE MAN is out there and he's going to get you.
You see, back at some point in the late last century a set of people - almost certainly Germans - invented a wonderful (and often hilarious) musical genre which sustained myself and many others throughout years of teenage gothery. A genre so wonderful (and often hilarious) that many people apparently now shrink back from associating their band with it in case they look bad against the true greats of the past.
Err, at least, I assume that's it because surely otherwise no one could possibly be at all embarassed to call themselves industrial, right? Right?
The thing is, though, that this is actually industrial music; the blend of socio-politically aware lyrics (and yes, while we're calling things by their real names that probably ought to say 'moody teenage dogma' but still) growling basslines, crushing beats and that particular sort of clanking sound that is only used by industrial bands (and Akon) can only add up to one thing...The Return Of Trent Reznor.
It's incredibly hard to listen to the introduction to 'Don't Stop', without thinking 'hrmm, sounds a bit like by Nine Inch Nails.
(Note: NIN's video contains a LOT of flashing lights. Let's be safe, mm?)
And there's also a problem, here, because as "a blend of rock and dance," Innerpartysystem are fairly exciting, since if all you listen to is either dance or rock then it's quite a new sound. If, on the other hand, you too spent a lot of your teen years with bits of blue vinyl in your hair, wearing all black and complaining about KMFDM being on hiatus then, well, this isn't exactly going to be the the most astonishing thing you've ever heard.
Calling it by its name, then, this is a fairly generic (and often hilarious) industrial track with what you could describe as 'not the world's most innovative' lyrics as a social commentary on the culture of celebrity (again, see Nine Inch Nails' back catalogue and the rucksack/pencil case/facebook 'favourite quotes' section of your local goth for past examples) but a generic industrial track is still fairly listenable in my book and at least it's relatively fresh...for now.
Download: Out now
CD Released: February 9th
(Hazel Robinson)
Comment number 1.
At 6th Feb 2009, igorah wrote:Omg I was listening to this back in June :S
Tune though :)
x
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Comment number 2.
At 6th Feb 2009, hackerjack wrote:I rememeber hearing this months ago and I thought that it was a rather lacklustre follow up for Pendulum, it was only when you posted those press releases last week that I found out that this band existed.
My opinion hasn't changed much, it's an OK song but there are better acts out there doing this style. The unique claim counts against them too.
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Comment number 3.
At 8th Feb 2009, XxlivsxX wrote:It's funny, only yesterday I was buying a song by Does It Offend You Yeah? on iTunes, where the official review said they managed to successfully create a unique blend of rock and dance. How many different blends of rock and dance can there really be?
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Comment number 4.
At 5th Sep 2009, J_Staunton wrote:Personally, i think the song is fantastic and the act should have received far more exposure than they have.
It's a shame acts like Pendulum seem far more popular, what with their completely unique (!) mixes.
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